Another Day
by keyascribe
Summary: Just another day on the Going Merry . . . . ZxL or nakamania, whichever you desire.


Disclaimer: Absolutely not mine. In fact, I don't even know what's happening in the manga right now, which would probably mean I'm not the one creating it.

Another Day

There were not many things that Nami regretted having done. There _were_ things she regretted having happened, things that she wept for daily in that small portion of herself that she had long ago reserved for weakness and then had tightly locked away until, so unexpectedly, it had all bubbled back to the surface in the face of utter despair and a boy captain who had no reason to help her at all. . . . .

And then there were the things that she regretted so bitterly not having done, not having been _able_ to do – things that could have saved lives, just a few more, just one more; things that could have maintained her dignity, just a little, just one night more. The helpless things, the inadequate things, the wavering things, these she regretted, even if mostly just in the dark of the occasional chill night. But the things she had chosen, the decisions and actions made of her free will and under her own power, those she made a point never to repent.

But Luffy moved the world in strange ways, like the almost magical electronic storms some sailors swore meant death and others greeted as predicting rare luck. Within the scope of his strange harmonics no rules, however hard and fast and long-set, could avoid the occasional warping. Which was why Nami was currently getting awfully close to regretting having persuaded her captain and the rest of the crew of the Going Merry to agree to ferrying the daughter of a prominent sea trader from one island to the next - for an enormous fee, of course.

Naturally, Sanji had been delighted with the idea, and Usopp and Chopper were always eager to meet new people, and regale them or be regaled with fantastic stories. Luffy had been a little dubious - and she should have realized right then, because Luffy operated on instinct 99 of the time and was almost always right, even when there was absolutely no reason he should be. But he had deferred the decision to her and they had been running low on cash which meant supplies which meant meat, so he hadn't protested when she voted for the plan. Zoro had been . . . well, Zoro didn't quite count in these situations, because no matter how irritated and/or indifferent he acted or was, he followed the captain, as naturally as breathing.

That was where Zoro was different from the rest of the crew, and most especially Nami. She liked answers and explanations, but when it came to Luffy, Zoro just seemed to know. In the first days of the Going Merry she had alternately been astounded, annoyed and even depressed to think that the telepathy between captain and swordsman might be merely a "guy thing" that she could never share. But Usopp, for all his knack at understanding structure and complication, was often reduced to blind trust of Luffy, and even Sanji for all his competence and coolness, more intersected his captain's actions than his logic.

Zoro, however, Zoro understood; not just followed or agreed but for different reasons, but actually understood in some deep instinctual way that was like how birds sensed weather movements or dolphins could read the slightest shift of currents . . .except of course that Zoro was the least bird or dolphin-like person Nami could imagine. But they had something elemental about them both, she sometimes thought, the captain and the swordsman, something that wasn't really very similar, but did share a certain sense of intangibility, like they carried with them a swirl of somethingness . . . . that changed things.

Nami sometimes felt that, in a way, Zoro had almost cheated – all of the others had been forced to trust Luffy at one point or another; that first time when it had been like breaking something, like breaking your carefully constructed _self_, so that the shut out hope and dreams you had carefully shielded yourself from could pour back in through the sudden crack and drown the old weak you forever. But Zoro had given himself freely, had not been won over by salvation or awe or hope. He had agreed and nothing had needed to be broken. His direction had been sharpened and sped, but the course had not altered.

Luffy and Zoro weren't like the rest of them. Usopp, Sanji-kun, certainly Nami herself, they lived in a constant stream of decisions: what to do, where to go, who to fight how to fight . . . .but Luffy and Zoro didn't make decisions. They had already made one, at the beginning, and once that was made all the rest was set. There were reactions, but no decisions because there were really no choices left to be made.

Nami had asked once, in a rare chat with Zoro (rare not because she didn't like him, but because Zoro didn't often chat with anyone since if it was quiet enough to chat, he was almost invariably already asleep) how he had ended up on Bagi's clown wharf just at the right moment. After he had explained about Luffy and food and the giant bird, she had asked half teasing half incredulous, why hadn't he just ditched Luffy? Why row halfway across the sea for a boy he barely knew and who had proven himself stupid enough to be kidnapped by a giant seagull?

And Zoro had just looked at her, honestly puzzled, and said, "Luffy was carried away by a bird," like that explained everything – and for Zoro it did, Nami realized. He had pledged to his captain; his captain had been carried away by a bird. Ergo, he followed. It was as simple as that, and Nami still didn't know if she was more worried about or jealous of Zoro for living with such a clear code. When you didn't see swerving as an option you were bound to hit more bumps than the rest of people; but then, Luffy was still there ahead, clearing the way, so maybe Zoro would be okay - just like the rest of them – as long as Luffy didn't swerve either. And for a man made of rubber, Luffy certainly didn't bend to the wind. He _was_ a kind of wind, hot and wild as the breeze from Hephaestus' fire, that made all else bend, and change and reform and move.

In that sense, too, Zoro hadn't been tested like the rest of them, hadn't needed to be burned in the fires of recreation, although was perhaps slowly being tempered. Luffy gave people hope, dreams, gave them warmth and fire . . . . Sanji glowed slow and certain and hot like one of his cigarettes, and Usopp's ambition was like a crackling bonfire, loud and fitful and casting an exaggerated shadow. Chopper was the sweet clear protecting light of a doctor's brazier, and as for herself, Nami had a feeling she was like the gleam of sun on gold: strong, compelling and a little untrustworthy still. Zoro was easy; his will was always like a sword, and Luffy heated the edge to a pure hot light.

Which was, at the moment, exactly the problem. The man who usually required multiple attempts on his life and assorted flesh wounds to get more than annoyed, had been, in less than a day, completely mastered by one lone girl. Zoro was currently so hot under the collar that he was about to burst into flames; and if he did, Nami knew enough to watch for red hot shrapnel.

And even if the reason was actually kind of cute, she was getting fed up with what the swordsman's jealous, albeit sullen and silent, temper tantrum was doing to the usual peace (or at least harmony) of the ship.

Just because for somewhat obscure reasons their temporary guest had decided to form a huge crush on their captain, it was no excuse for Zoro to be going around with a scowl that sizzled small insects from three feet away. Nami _was_ pretty sure that Zoro wasn't even aware of his reaction, was certainly not going about thinking 'how dare that little pig make a move for MY captain!'. Zoro had always been a little possessive, but Nami was fairly certain that nothing between Luffy and the swordsman had progressed to the point that Zoro would have the right to get huffy if someone flirted with the Strawhat Pirate. Not that Luffy was really noticing, and if it wasn't for Zoro turning as green as his hair it would be kind of funny to watch, the way the girl was getting more and more obvious while Luffy continued absolutely clueless. . . .

Nami wasn't even sure that Zoro wanted things, or realized he wanted things, to progress to that other, different, level. But he was the only one who would dare take a blow meant for Luffy; he was Luffy's first choice for rocketing; he had been the first to be picked. And maybe that didn't mean much or maybe it did – but Nami knew how determined Zoro was not to let anything interfere with his decisions, once made; and Luffy was now his decision and the swordsman evidently thought that a low cut dress constantly snuggling up to his captain counted as interference.

Like herself, Usopp, Chopper and Sanji-kun were keeping a wary distance from the fuming swordsman, while watching the girl play her cards with a sort of horrified fascination. At first there had been whispered, incredulous conversations – "She's not really trying to – is she? She couldn't be – he's not noticing anything. Well would he ever? But – she is, isn't she – good god -" but now they were simply watching soundlessly like spectators to a massive sea disaster.

Which it rather was. The girl asked to be shown around the ship but Luffy evidently hadn't felt flattered at her oohs and ahhs because of course the Going Merry deserved them. Nor did he bother to take her up on the suggestion that he show her the dark, cozy, abandoned hold because 'there's nothing much down there now'. She was constantly falling as the boat moved in the water's swell, and sometimes he caught her but sometimes he had moved on and didn't notice - so she was forced to catch her own balance, which she did easily enough. She couldn't find a way to sit beside him on the masthead, but she tugged down her shirt and leaned up against the railing so that if Luffy looked down he could appreciate the view; but of course he never looked down because when it came to the ocean's horizon, he sometimes wouldn't even look away for _them. _

Her latest ploy was skimpy clothing combined with offerings of food. It certainly got Luffy's attention, but he was so intent on the food that the thigh and cleavage barely seemed to register, if it did at all. Sanji, who was soliticious to all women even when they were ignoring him in favor of near suicidially attempting to seduce obliviously grinning pirates captains with testy sword-wielding first mates, continued to make food for her to offer and seemed to be treating the entire situation as something of a fascinating experiment.

Nami had a less active role, but had put down money in the 'will Luffy notice' pool (she had chosen 'maybe if she gets naked'; Usopp had added: 'and smears herself with food') and the 'how far will she go' bet (she thought hog-tieing; Sanji said drugs, which might be another reason he was fixing the food). However, she had prudently left the 'how long will it take before Zoro chops her into pieces' bet alone.

It wasn't unfathomable that someone would throw herself at Luffy. Girls did do it, though not as often as they did with Zoro and Sanji (who was usually too heart-eyed to even notice they were responding). Even Usopp could find willing listeners to his grand stories. And while Luffy was young and unpretentious and patently naïve about that kind of thing, he was also boyishly appealing and joyfully infectious and made of rubber, which was, in terms of romance, . . . quite, quite interesting.

But this was time it really was getting annoying and something really had to be done about it, albeit in a way that wouldn't threaten the precious money –

From the bow of the ship, there was a sudden and familiar drawn out cry of "Gomu Gomu no . . . .rocket throw!" followed by a shriek that quickly died away as . . . something . . .was tossed into the distance by Luffy's massive strength.

Nami jumped the balcony and raced to the masthead, where Luffy, Usopp and Sanji stood gazing thoughtfully into the distance. Luffy had trails of rope around his wrists, Usopp had his goggles down as if he had been measuring distance, and Sanji was lighting a new cigarette. All three jumped guiltily as she skidded up.

"Oh! N-nami-" Usopp started.

"What did you do?" she demanded, cutting the handyman short.

"W-we gave her a parachute," Usopp said nervously. "She won't get hurt when she lands . . .."

"The concerned Nami is so appealing!" Sanji sighed longingly.

"San. Ji. Kun," Nami ground out. "Tell me you three didn't just rocket our lunch ticket off this boat."

"Lunch?" Luffy asked, blinking widely.

"The girl!"

"Ohhhhhh! She was a Marine!" Luffy explained, not seeming all that upset.

A Marine? But that meant . . . that meant no money! Nami's head swam. "How did you find out?" she demanded.

Luffy shrugged and laughed. "I saw her tattoo."

"What tattoo!"

"The one here-" Luffy pointed to a place on himself that would have caused Sanji to faint had Luffy been a woman.

"Luffy," Nami snapped, "how did you see there?"

"Ahhh," Luffy scratched his head for a moment as if trying to remember. "She must have had her clothes off. I don't know why, I was kind of busy trying to undo these knots at the time . . . ." He laughed again. "Marines are weird."

There was a sudden sharp snort to their left. All heads turned to Zoro, who was leaning against the railing, smirking, with a certain victorious gleam to his eyes.

"Zoro!" Luffy exclaimed. "Where have you been?"

Zoro continued to look faintly viciously smug. "Just here."

This seemed to satisfy their captain, who suddenly remembered something else and swiveled to the smoking cook.

"Anyway, Sanji, I'm huuuuungry," Luffy complained. "When's dinnnnnner?"

Nami trailed behind the group to catch up with Zoro as the swordsman lazily swaggered back toward the stern of the ship. "Zoro," she called, and he turned and regarded her with his usual placid indifference, as if he had never been steaming like a volcano all day. "I saw you with rope earlier," she said suspiciously. "Did you suggest to her that Luffy likes to be tied up?"

Zoro shrugged casually. "None of my business," he drawled, but there was still the satisfied harmonics of _enemy vanquished_ in the tone.

"Well, thank you," she said, lightly swatting him on the arm. "I just made a bundle on the betting pool."

Zoro raised an eyebrow. "So you going to give me half?"

Nami laughed and thought it had been a good day after all.

On the Going Merry, in the end, it always was.


End file.
